SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Marcus Freeman isn't yet 100 weeks into his career as a college head football coach, but it's doubtful that Notre Dame's second-year boss has had many more trying weeks.
The Fighting Irish were pummeled a week ago at Louisville in a game that quelled Notre Dame's nascent College Football Playoff dreams and ushered in a veritable must-win contest Saturday night against No. 10 USC inside Notre Dame Stadium.
The egg didn't break.
As in, Notre Dame proved its fragility -- or lack thereof.
The Irish forced reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams into three interceptions -- part of the Trojans's five-turnover evening -- and were spurred by Jadarian Price's 99-yard kickoff return for a score in their dominant, 48-20 win.
While USC saw its second-year coach Lincoln Riley endure the largest defeat of Riley's seven-year head coaching career, Freeman found a team that absorbed its coach's message.
"Adversity is a part of life," Freeman said. "I told our guys -- here is the word I used -- i said I want to be an anti-fragile program. We have to be an anti-fragile program.
"What does that mean? We just didn't get through it, through adversity. We are better because of the adversity we faced. That's easy to say. The challenge is do the things that it takes to make sure we're better, and that's what these coaches and players did.”
Notre Dame led moments into the game after Xavier Watts notched the first of his two interceptions, and once the Irish commanded a double-digit lead in the second quarter, they never led by fewer than 11 points across the game's final 34 minutes, 14 seconds.
"What anti-fragile means is you get stronger from adversity; we did that," Notre Dame tailback Audric Estimè said. "We had a great week of practice and came out today and that was the result, being stronger from last week."
How did the Irish bounce back from their disheartening loss at then-unbeaten Louisville?
Notre Dame players began to respond last Sunday; they texted one another and talked with their coaches.
Monday, the team held a correctional, walk-through practice inside Notre Dame's Indoor Athletics Center.
By Tuesday, coaches saw in a grueling practice that players -- and staff -- had begun to formulate the right response.
National lacrosse recruit and sudden Fighting Irish wide receiver with a role Jordan Faison carved time for extra video sessions with position coach Chansi Stuckey, who's continued to fashion a piecemeal but effective unit.
"Phenomenal energy. Resilient," Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said early in the week's preparations. "Ready to fight back and earn the right to be a winner. That’s who these guys are. You would have no doubt, right?
"They were eager. They’re all pissed off in a very positive way. We all are, right? We’re all here together. The staff and players are aligned. We’re all in this fight to get it fixed and be better and do our part.”
The rediscovered vibes continued throughout the week's work; people on campus indicated a renewed edge and energy as the Irish worked through their Wednesday and Thursday practices.
By Friday's walk-through, spirits were high.
Freeman, who by and large has deftly held the pulse of his team, was particularly energetic in the team's lively dress rehearsal.
Coaches and players competed in a variety of games to loosen up before the evening's team meal and meetings.
A handful of former Irish stars, ex-NFL All Pro Justin Tuck among them, saw some Irish players uncork cartwheels and somersaults as the Irish worked into their hour-long session.
Players exploded through their drills; quarterback Sam Hartman, the former Wake Forest and ACC record-setting gunslinger, regained some of the swagger that made him a Notre Dame captain for his only season beneath the Golden Dome.
Faison ultimately landed a starting spot by Saturday; resident speedster running-back-turned-wideout Chris Tyree shucked the Trojans's defense like an oyster via his 46-yard catch-and-run touchdown that effectively ushered in the romp.
By late Saturday night, as fireworks exploded above the sold-out crowd of 77,622 and thousands of fans poured out of the stands onto the Irish's synthetic turf, Freeman had guided Notre Dame to its second win against a top-10 foe in less than a calendar year.
The scenes, the sound as @NDFootball sacks Caleb Williams & punctuates its 48-20 win against previously undefeated, No. 10 @uscfb pic.twitter.com/53jpwbu3Zb
— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) October 15, 2023
The Trojans were limited to just 302 yards' offense -- their lowest total by some 49 yards in Riley's 21 games atop the USC program; the 20 points marked the second-worst output since Riley arrived from Oklahoma at almost the same time Freeman ascended to replace Brian Kelly at Notre Dame.
In addition to Williams's three interceptions, the Irish forced and recovered two fumbles; they notched 11 tackles for losses -- and sacked Williams four times.
"I challenged those guys and said, 'Are we going to let a defeat that happened in the past dictate how we prepare for this?'," Freeman said as his team punctuated its midterm week with a four-touchdown win. "This wasn't about the outcome. It was about preparing the way we needed to prepare to give us a chance to have this kind of performance. And that was my challenge to the group: [asking] Are we elite competitors, coaches that really can hold your chin up throughout tough times and do the things. There is a process to making sure your team is ready.
“That doesn't guarantee you to have success because everybody is going to say, 'Why don't you do that process every week?'. There is a process to guarantee you have a chance to have success. That's what we couldn't cheat. I'm proud of the way the coaches and the players really attacked it.”